The Philadelphia Eagles have officially said goodbye to one legend and are waiting to see if any of their current edge defenders are ready to pick up the mantel.
Former first-round pick Brandon Graham - the longest-tenured Eagle in franchise history - announced Tuesday afternoon that he would retire. In his place, the Eagles have plenty of young edge rushers to step up.
One of those is the recently signed Josh Uche.
At one point in his career, Uche was considered one of the fastest-rising edge rushers in the league with 11 sacks in 2022. After two years of lesser play including a trade to the Kansas City Chiefs that resulted in him being a healthy scratch for Super Bowl LIX, Uche is hoping to save his career with the Eagles.
"Being 26 years old, I've got a lot left in the tank," Uche said. "It just comes down to opportunity and getting on the field, doing my job. Whenever I'm on the field, I've been effective, I've been efficient. It's just all about getting on the field and doing my job."
Philadelphia may be the perfect fit for Uche.
While he will have to compete for a spot on the starting defense, the Eagles like rotating their edge rushers throughout games so the former Michigan product could find himself in situations that are strong for him.
Related: Brandon Graham Announces Retirement After 15-Year Eagles Run
It's why he chose the Eagles in the first place.
"There was a couple other teams out there interested," Uche said. "The Eagles was the best fit for me, the most passionate in terms of pursuing me. I just feel like the history, the Super Bowl, just everything fell in line. The stars aligned. I just feel like it's where God is calling me to be."
When Graham came to the Eagles, he was a Michigan product who didn't truly hit the ground running until he was 28 years old. Philadelphia is hoping for the same with another Michigan product at 26 years old this time around.
Related: Eagles' Lane Johnson Last Man Standing After Teammate Retires
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This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 6:59 AM.